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Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Basemen

June 2, 2009   ·     ·   Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees

By Derek of The Sportmeisters

Here we are. After just about two months in the season, I thought I would bust out my preseason rankings and adjust them a bit to show how right or wrong I am.

Preseason Rankings

1. Dustin Pedroia—Boston Red Sox

2. Chase Utley—Philadelphia Phillies

3. Ian Kinsler—Texas Rangers

4. Brian Roberts—Baltimore Orioles

5. Brandon Phillips—Cincinnati Reds

6. Robinson Cano—New York Yankees

7. Alexei Ramirez—Chicago White Sox

8. Dan Uggla—Florida Marlins

9. Placido Polanco—Detroit Tigers

10. Jose Lopez—Seattle Mariners

11. Kelly Johnson—Atlanta Braves

12. Howie Kendrick—LA Angels Of Anaheim

13. Orlando Hudson—Los Angeles Dodgers

14. Akinori Iwamura—Tampa Bay Rays

15. Luis Castillo—New York Mets


Current Rankings

1. Ian Kinsler—Texas Rangers

2. Aaron Hill—Toronto Blue Jays

3. Chase Utley—Philadelphia Phillies

4. Brian Roberts—Baltimore Orioles

5. Orlando Hudson—Los Angeles Dodgers

6. Robinson Cano—New York Yankees

7. Asdrubal Cabrera—Cleveland Indians

8. Dustin Pedroia—Boston Red Sox

9. Brandon Phillips—Cincinnati Reds

10. Freddy Sanchez—Pittsburgh Pirates

11. Clint Barmes—Colorado Rockies

12. Dan Uggla—Florida Marlins

13. Felipe Lopez—Arizona Diamondbacks

14. Kelly Johnson—Atlanta Braves

15. Luis Castillo—New York Mets

Wow, what a difference!

A few guys that were left off my list were due to injuries, such as Rickie Weeks and Akinori Iwamura.

Let’s go over each player and why I have them ranked so high.


1. Ian Kinsler—Texas Rangers—.279 BA, 38 R, 13 HR, 39 RBI, and 10 SB

Kinsler has been very steady, even spectacular at times this season.

He has double-digit home runs, stolen bases, and looks like he is finally healthy enough to fulfill his potential. Look for a possible 30 home run, 100+ RBI, and 20+ stolen base season and keep him active at all times as he is an elite second baseman.


2. Aaron Hill—Toronto Blue Jays—.333 BA, 33 R, 12 HR, 37 RBI, and 2 SB

Who’s this guy?

Hill has come out of nowhere to have a terrific start to the season. His 12 home runs are second among second basemen as well are his 37 RBI.

I don’t think he will keep up this pace, but a 20+ home run season isn’t out of the question. Ride him while he’s hot, but look out for the decline.


3. Chase Utley—Philadelphia Phillies—.299 BA, 36 R, 12 HR, 35 RBI, and 5 SB

Utley has returned to his elite status after his offseason surgery. He is tied with Hill with 12 home runs and has 35 RBI and five stolen bases. He is in a monster Phillies lineup and will probably end up the No. 1 fantasy second baseman by season’s end.

Never bench him.


4. Brian Roberts—Baltimore Orioles—.294 BA, 43 R, 6 HR, 22 RBI, and 10 SB

Here’s another elite second baseman.

Roberts has been as steady as they come with a .294 average to go with his 43 runs and 10 stolen bases. He is on pace for 30+ stolen bases, 130 runs, and should come close to both.

Keep him active in all formats.


5. Orlando Hudson—Los Angeles Dodgers—.332 BA, 38 R, 3 HR, 31 RBI, and 4 SB

When I did my initial rankings, I pegged Hudson as a sleeper pick and so far it looks like I was right.

Hudson started out like a house on fire and hasn’t slowed down even after Manny Ramirez’s suspension. He is currently hitting .332 and I expect the same to continue as long as he stays healthy.


6. Robinson Cano—New York Yankees—.308 BA, 35 R, 9 HR, 31 RBI, and 2 SB

Cano has been one Yankee that hasn’t been affected by the return of A-Rod.

He started off the year hot, hitting .366 in April with five home runs and 16 RBI. He has kept it up, hitting four home runs and 15 RBI in May. With that lineup in front of him, Cano should be kept active and you can expect a 20+ home run season with a .300+ average.


7. Asdrubal Cabrera—Cleveland Indians—.312 BA, 38 R, 2 HR, 27 RBI, and 7 SB

Here is another surprise guy.

Cabrera wasn’t anywhere near my initial rankings list, but here he is now. He has dual eligibility as he has split time at SS. He had 18 RBI in May and is hitting .312 on the year, so go ahead and keep him active as long as he is playing well.


8. Dustin Pedroia—Boston Red Sox—.326 BA, 39 R, 2 HR, 20 RBI, and 8 SB

Not bad, but not what we expected.

Pedroia has started slow in the way of home runs and RBI, but he is still hitting .326 with eight stolen bases and has scored 39 runs. He is an elite second baseman and shouldn’t be benched.

Expect his numbers to jump soon.


9. Brandon Phillips—Cincinnati Reds—.280 BA, 22 R, 9 HR, 37 RBI, and 4 SB

Here’s a guy out to prove that he’s no bust.

After a down year last year, Phillips has started strong with 37 RBI. He is currently on pace for 25+ home runs and 115+ RBI and will also end up with 15+ stolen bases.

Keep him active.


10. Freddy Sanchez—Pittsburgh Pirates—.325 BA, 31 R, 4 HR, 18 RBI, and 4 SB

Sanchez has been very good for a very bad team.

Just three years ago, in 2006, he was near the top of the league in batting average with a .344 average and followed that with a .304 average in 2007.

He has started with a .325 average this year and should keep it up. He’s not elite due to his lack of power and speed, but is good enough to be started for his high average.


11. Clint Barmes—Colorado Rockies—.262 BA, 28 R, 5 HR, 19 RBI, and 5 SB

Barmes has responded well to an increase in playing time.

He was supposed to bust out a few years ago, but was sidelined with numerous injuries, didn’t recover well enough, and spent some time in the minors.

However, he is back and playing well. He is not going to be a 20-20 guy nor will he have a .300 average, so he isn’t really worth starting…but he could be useful if you need a second baseman with some pop.


12. Dan Uggla—Florida Marlins—.206 BA, 22 R, 9 HR, 35 RBI, and 1 SB

BUST!

Uggla has been plain ugly this year.

He is hitting a miserable .206 and only has nine home runs but has 35 RBI. He has the ability to hit 30 home runs, so go ahead and keep him active for his power potential, but if he does any worse…stash him on the bench.


13. Felipe Lopez—Arizona Diamondbacks—.306 BA, 21 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI, and 4 SB

Looks like Lopez just needed a change of scenery.

Buried on the bench last year in Washington, Lopez signed with Arizona this offseason and has rewarded them with super play. He is hitting for average and has the power to hit 15 homers and the speed to steal 20+ bases.

If you have him, keep him active.


14. Kelly Johnson—Atlanta Braves—.256 BA, 28 R, 5 HR, 18 RBI, and 2 SB

Johnson hasn’t had the best year, but is hot right now.

He has six hits in his last 14 at bats and two of those were home runs. The Braves have a solid lineup and Johnson normally hits near the top, so if you have him…use him.


15. Luis Castillo—New York Mets—.284 BA, 28 R, 0 HR, 11 RBI, and 6 SB

Super sleeper.

I had Castillo ranked 15th in preseason and here he is at 15th again. He has had a solid year, hitting .284 with six stolen bases. He really helps in leagues that get points for on base percentage and walks as he has a .383 OBP and 24 walks to only 13 strikeouts.

He has the speed to steal 20 bases and should stay around the .290-.300 range for average.

There are my rankings for the Second Base position after the first two months.

Any arguments or questions, feel free to email me at Derek@Sportmeisters.com.

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